Death Road, Bolivia

Death Road, Bolivia (5/4/2014)

Bolivia's Death Road (Camino a las Yungas)

The World's Most Dangerous Route!

Yes, with some encouragement from fellow travelers and my wife, Pat, I decided to put down my deposit and sign up to do Bolivia’s famous Death Road bike ride. 

After my adventure while doing research for this post, I learned the Death Road lives up to its name having claimed 200-300 lives every year until they closed it to bus and truck traffic in 2007 when the recent new road was completed. An average of 26 vehicles disappeared over the edge every year. With about 25,000 thrill seekers a year doing this bike ride, it still claims the lives of an average of 2 bike riders every year now. This is truly a death road.

Wayne on Bolivia's Death Road

After a couple of days to reflect with the adrenaline in my veins back to normal levels, I am better able share my feelings about this unique adventure. I LOVED IT! Somehow I did the Death Road bike ride staying up with our new Australian friends we are traveling with who were half my age. This surprised even me because I have not been on a bike for over 10 year and have little experience with mountain bike riding.

Crosses Remind You of the Danger

The bike ride on the Camino a las Yungas road (better known as Bolivia’s Death Road) is a gorgeous, winding, 40-mile road leading from La Paz to Coroico. Because of its legendary extreme danger, in 1995 the Inter-American Development Bank christened it as the "world's most dangerous road". The road includes numerous cross markings on many of the spots where vehicles have fallen and people have died (see photo).

1,000 Foot Dropoffs

Like us, most people wisely choose to go with a professional tour company and there are many to choose from in La Paz. The good companies offer top quality mountain bikes with quality brakes and suspension. Because much the ride is on a gravel dirt road with 1000+ feet drop offs with no guardrails, this is very important and you should check out the quality of bikes offered very closely.

Safety, not price, should be your major concern when choosing a company to go with on the Death Road ride.

Riding with Our New Australian Friends

The trip starts early in the morning in La Paz where you take a 45-minute ride in a van to the summit at 15,260 feet. There you put on arm and leg guards, gloves, helmet, and jacket and pants they provide. Thoroughly checking your bike is a wise idea before taking off. 90% of the Death Road ride is downhill ending at an attitude of about 3,900 feet.

Gravel Road - Death Road, Bolivia

The first third is paved and riders literally fly down the ride achieving great speeds or braking to the speed they were confortable with. The rest of the Death Road ride was on the narrow gravel road offering many types of riding experiences. People in our group (50/50% men/women) came down at various speeds. 

Riding Through the Waterfall - Death Road, Bolivia

The most daredevil among us followed the guide at high speed while others used the brakes more and came down at the speed they were comfortable with. With the frequent stops, the group met up giving the late arrivals sufficient time to rest before starting again. There is a small waterfall you ride under that provides a refreshing shower (see photo).

Our Crazy Group

During my experience on Bolivia’s Death Road, I found myself getting increased confidence as I went along and started staying up with the fastest among our group. Then I would pass one of the many crosses put up indicating that someone died at this stop. It sobered me a bit to back down the speed and be more cautious – a very wise decision.

Would You Fool Around on the Death Road?

At one time I let my confidence get ahead of me. We were going through an area where we were in some clouds and the drop off was hidden. I came down to a hairpin turn braking at the end. My back tire slid a little bit and when I looked back through a small break in the cloudy view, I saw that I had come a few feet from a shear drop off – probably further away but it did get my attention. I took a more cautious approach to my Death Road ride from then on.

Map of Bolivia's Death Road

We ended our ride at a nice restaurant with a pool and buffet lunch. After a nice shower and swim, sharing a few beers with my fellow riders provided a wonderful ending to our bike ride down Bolivia’s Death Road. The 3-hour bus ride back on the new road to our hotel in La Paz arriving around 9pm was an anti-climatic but much safer way to end our adventure.

Beautiful & Thrilling - Bolivia's Death Road

The next morning when I awoke from a very good sleep, I told my wife that I wasn’t sure what hurt more - the effects of the ride or the aftermath of the many beers shared.

I would recommend the Death Road adventure to anyone who has 1) modest experience with riding bikes, 2) a fair amount of fitness, and 3) some go-for-it attitude.

My advice for everyone is to remember that riding Bolivia's Death Road is not a race. Go at the speed you are comfortable with and come home healthy. Go for it!

 
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